Business mishaps threaten Franken campaign

[a kennedy]

By PATRICIA LOPEZ and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune


Al Franken's career as an entertainer made him famous and rich and positioned him to run for the U.S. Senate.

But now, just as he appears on the verge of securing the DFL endorsement to take on Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, Franken could be tripped up by missteps in the way his show business enterprise was run.

Republicans, who for more than a year have eagerly unearthed controversial tidbits from Franken's comedy routines and books, have in recent weeks discovered several slip-ups in the celebrity's business life. On Thursday, they claimed to have found another possible irregularity, a charge that has yet to be resolved.

On Friday, Franken's campaign manager, Andy Barr, declined to say whether Franken had paid taxes on earnings in California between 2003 and 2007.

He said Franken's accountant is working with California officials to sort things out.

The latest Republican charge that Franken's taxes there have gone unpaid comes in the wake of earlier disclosures that Franken failed to pay workers' compensation and disability premiums in New York and botched the dissolution of his California corporation.

Since then, Franken has paid more than $25,000 in fines to New York and still owes more than $4,700 in corporate taxes and fines to California.

Franken supporters on Friday downplayed their candidate's corporate scrapes.

Full article here: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/18221874.html

[CubFan7125]

1. I Like Al

The Al Franken Show and The Rachel Maddow Show were the only two shows I listened to on Air America. I think Al would be a good senator. He is a thoughtful, well spoken man and seems to care for the people who life dealt a shitty hand to. All that said, he is an unlikeable person and seems to be stepping on his feel a lot in this campaign. Norm Coleman is a slimebag and political opportunist of the 1st degree but he is generally a likeable guy when you meet him. I will vote for Al in the general election bit I;m afraid he is going down by double digits.

[Blue Fire]

2. I like Al, too!

He's a great entertainer and a passionate liberal. But I think Ceresi would have been a better choice against Coleman. IMHO.

[CatholicEdHead]

3. Klobuchar set the bar for campaigning

It will be harder for Al to reach that level, we will see what happens though.